This salty, sweet, and super flavorful preparation of herring can be prepped in under an hour and kept in the fridge for up to a month for an easy savory appetizer option.

Pickled Herring Recipe: How to Make Pickled Herring

Pickled herring is a salty [preserved](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-home-food-preservation-how-to-pickle-can-ferment-dry-and-preserve-at-home) fish dish made by soaking herring fillets in a [pickling](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-pickles) liquid consisting of [vinegar](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-all-the-cooking-vinegars-you-need-to-know), sugar, and a variety of whole spices. Herring, which is an aquatic animal in the Clupeidae family of fish, are native to bodies of temperate water around the world but are particularly prominent in the cuisine of northern European and Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Herring is rich with Omega-3 fatty acids and has an oily, sardine-like flavor. Given the quick-spoiling nature of fresh herring, it is most commonly [smoked](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-meat-smoking-learn-how-to-smoke-meat-and-make-texas-style-bbq-smoked-meats), salt-packed, or pickled to extend its shelf life. 

This pickled herring recipe pairs the bold flavors of black peppercorns, [allspice](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-allspice-how-to-cook-with-allspice-and-homemade-allspice-substitute-recipe), and mustard seed with a [white vinegar](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/rice-vinegar-vs-white-vinegar) and sugar brine to offset the pungent flavor of this rich, fatty fish. Pickled herring is most traditionally served with [rye bread](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-homemade-rye-bread-easy-rye-bread-recipe-and-8-types-of-rye-bread) or rye crackers on platters consisting of ingredients like butter, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, [horseradish](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-grow-horseradish-in-your-garden), [sour cream](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-sour-cream), and a variety of sliced vegetables.
You may be a little reticent about pickling a fish for the first time, but the process is fairly simple. However, there are a few tips you can follow to make sure that your pickled herring turns out the best that it possibly can. 

1. __Use salted fish, or make your own brine__. While pre-salted herring is most commonly used to make pickled herring, you can also use fresh herring soaked in a brine of your own making. If your fish doesn’t come pre-salted, add ¼ cup of Kosher salt to your overnight water bath to infuse your fish with a pleasant savory flavor. 
2. __Experiment with your brine ratio__. The ratio of sugar, vinegar, and water in this brine can be altered depending on your personal preferences. Increase the amount of vinegar for a more tangy, acidic pickled fish, or up the sugar quantity to mellow out the acidity. 
3. __Sterilize your jars__. To make sure your pickled fish is safe to eat, make sure your canning jars or Mason jars are washed thoroughly and sterilized prior before you use them to pickle your fish. Glass jars can be sterilized by soaking them in boiling water for 10 minutes before transferring to a clean cloth to dry completely. 
4. __Change up your ingredients__. Different kinds of vinegars and spices, like allspice, coriander, and dill, are traditional spice choices for pickled herring. Feel free to play around with different vinegars, whole spices, and herbs to create new flavor profiles for your fish.
This salty, sweet, and super flavorful preparation of herring can be prepped in under an hour and kept in the fridge for up to a month for an easy savory appetizer option.

Pickled herring is a salty <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-home-food-preservation-how-to-pickle-can-ferment-dry-and-preserve-at-home' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-home-food-preservation-how-to-pickle-can-ferment-dry-and-preserve-at-home","linkCopy":"preserved","category":null}'>preserved</a> fish dish made by soaking herring fillets in a <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-pickles' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-pickles","linkCopy":"pickling","category":null}'>pickling</a> liquid consisting of <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-all-the-cooking-vinegars-you-need-to-know' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-all-the-cooking-vinegars-you-need-to-know","linkCopy":"vinegar","category":null}'>vinegar</a>, sugar, and a variety of whole spices. Herring, which is an aquatic animal in the Clupeidae family of fish, are native to bodies of temperate water around the world but are particularly prominent in the cuisine of northern European and Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Herring is rich with Omega-3 fatty acids and has an oily, sardine-like flavor. Given the quick-spoiling nature of fresh herring, it is most commonly <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-meat-smoking-learn-how-to-smoke-meat-and-make-texas-style-bbq-smoked-meats' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-meat-smoking-learn-how-to-smoke-meat-and-make-texas-style-bbq-smoked-meats","linkCopy":"smoked","category":null}'>smoked</a>, salt-packed, or pickled to extend its shelf life. This pickled herring recipe pairs the bold flavors of black peppercorns, <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-allspice-how-to-cook-with-allspice-and-homemade-allspice-substitute-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-allspice-how-to-cook-with-allspice-and-homemade-allspice-substitute-recipe","linkCopy":"allspice","category":null}'>allspice</a>, and mustard seed with a <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/rice-vinegar-vs-white-vinegar' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/rice-vinegar-vs-white-vinegar","linkCopy":"white vinegar","category":null}'>white vinegar</a> and sugar brine to offset the pungent flavor of this rich, fatty fish. Pickled herring is most traditionally served with <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-homemade-rye-bread-easy-rye-bread-recipe-and-8-types-of-rye-bread' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-homemade-rye-bread-easy-rye-bread-recipe-and-8-types-of-rye-bread","linkCopy":"rye bread","category":null}'>rye bread</a> or rye crackers on platters consisting of ingredients like butter, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-grow-horseradish-in-your-garden' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-grow-horseradish-in-your-garden","linkCopy":"horseradish","category":null}'>horseradish</a>, <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-sour-cream' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-sour-cream","linkCopy":"sour cream","category":null}'>sour cream</a>, and a variety of sliced vegetables.

What Is Pickled Herring?

You may be a little reticent about pickling a fish for the first time, but the process is fairly simple. However, there are a few tips you can follow to make sure that your pickled herring turns out the best that it possibly can. <ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Use salted fish, or make your own brine. While pre-salted herring is most commonly used to make pickled herring, you can also use fresh herring soaked in a brine of your own making. If your fish doesn’t come pre-salted, add ¼ cup of Kosher salt to your overnight water bath to infuse your fish with a pleasant savory flavor. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Experiment with your brine ratio. The ratio of sugar, vinegar, and water in this brine can be altered depending on your personal preferences. Increase the amount of vinegar for a more tangy, acidic pickled fish, or up the sugar quantity to mellow out the acidity. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Sterilize your jars. To make sure your pickled fish is safe to eat, make sure your canning jars or Mason jars are washed thoroughly and sterilized prior before you use them to pickle your fish. Glass jars can be sterilized by soaking them in boiling water for 10 minutes before transferring to a clean cloth to dry completely. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Change up your ingredients. Different kinds of vinegars and spices, like allspice, coriander, and dill, are traditional spice choices for pickled herring. Feel free to play around with different vinegars, whole spices, and herbs to create new flavor profiles for your fish. </li></ol>

4 Tips for Pickled Herring

Pickled Herring Recipe

This salty, sweet, and super flavorful preparation of herring can be prepped in under an hour and kept in the fridge for up to a month for an easy savory appetizer option.

This salty, sweet, and super flavorful preparation of herring can be prepped in under an hour and kept in the fridge for up to a month for an easy savory appetizer option.
